FAIRHOPE — St. Michael advances in the 4A playoffs with a 49-21 victory over Pike County on Friday night.

A historic season continues for St. Michael and despite a few mistakes here and there, the Cardinals are advancing past the first round for the second time under head coach Philip Rivers.

“When you get to this time of year, you just find a way to win and we did,” Coach Rivers said following the game.

On the first play of the game, Cardinal running back Noah Moss ran for his first touchdown of the night with a long touchdown run. However, Pike County would immediately respond with a 96-yard kick return for a touchdown to make it 7-7 not even a minute into the game. Despite the setback, the St. Michael offense would settle in, with Moss recording two more touchdowns in the first quarter to make it 21-7.

To open the second quarter, Moss would once again find his way into the endzone for a touchdown, but after a stoppage by Pike County, the Bulldogs would then intercept Cardinal quarterback Gunner Rivers. However, the Cardinal defense would immediately respond with an interception of their own, followed by yet another Noah Moss touchdown.

Pike County would score with a touchdown from senior running back Braylin Jackson, but a touchdown pass to St. Michael receiver Brody Jones would make it 42-14 at halftime.

In the second half, Noah Moss recorded his final touchdown of the night with 10:03 left in the third quarter. Both teams’ offenses then stalled for a bit, with St. Michael missing a field goal attempt. Pike County would score the final touchdown of the night with 11:49 left in the fourth quarter, leaving the Cardinals victorious, 49-21.

Overall, Moss put up 368 yards and six touchdowns on 16 carries, setting an AHSAA 4A playoff record for rushing yards in a single game during Friday night’s win.

“I had a few good runs but I can’t take too much of the credit for myself,” Moss said. “Our receivers and our offensive line were just blocking their tails off and they did an amazing job and we just executed what we know how to do perfectly tonight.”

Up next, St. Michael will travel to Birmingham to play Pleasant Grove in the second round of the 4A playoffs. The two teams previously played each other last year in the postseason, with the Cardinals winning 38-24.

“We got to go on a four hour road trip and play a tough Pleasant Grove road team that’s going to be wanting to get one back on us after we beat them there last year, so we got a challenge on our hands,” Coach Rivers said.